Eight?! Oh, Jasper Callahan, on Sunday you will be eight. That doesn’t seem like a real number when applied to you. Why? Well, for starters I think we can all agree that I have real, real brain/heart block when it comes to my children, and secondly, “eight” is the age I still apply to Nora in my mind’s eye- keeping you at a firm four. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? My darling third, even on your birthday I can’t {Read More}
You are 7. (A post for my tiniest/not-tiny baby.)
December 19, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Dearest Jasper, you are 7. You are 7. You are the tail-end of many, many things. Birth order. Opinion-asking. Seat preference. This is unfair to you, because- the last time I checked- you had very little say in how and when and why you were born, and also how we ended up choosing the Honda Odyssey’s particular layout of seats. It is also perfectly fair, because you are the happiest little guy with whatever you get to eat and whomever {Read More}
The story of the puppy.
October 25, 2020 By Leave a Comment
(Because if it’s not documented on the blog, do we really even have a puppy?) I grew up with not-quite-puppy dogs. My childhood was filled with slightly older rescues. Also dogs who were babies before I had entered the picture. And eventually my parents adopted a pup or two after I had exited the picture. P.J. had dogs, too, loyal family pets and veritable baskets full of shiny, licky, Golden Retrievers. But when we moved in together, we had cats. {Read More}
Chicago to the Berkshires, Part 1: Goodbye, first home
July 16, 2020 By 2 Comments
(Today marks three weeks since we arrived at our new home in Massachusetts. More on THAT to come, because hoo boy. But for right now, a surprisingly/not super surprisingly hard one to write. I began this post the week before we moved but had to stop because…I had to stop. Stay tuned. Thanks in advance. Buckle up. Keep hydrating. And, you know, wear a mask.) An open letter to my home: Hey home, I know I’ve said some things in {Read More}
My grief during quarantine: A selfish/justified lament.
April 30, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Grief is weird. I can’t keep a thought in my head. Not for very long, anyhow. It’s like Tron all up in there, with neon thoughts zipping around and pinging off of walls. (Wait, that’s Tron, isn’t it? Or am I thinking of Pong with with the addition of laser sounds?) We should have the kids watch Tron, once I remember what it is. But definitely not Blade Runner– too real. This is my problem. This is one of my {Read More}
Six.
December 19, 2019 By 2 Comments
Oh, my dearest boy. Today you are six. Today you are home sick. (Today you are home and really sick. So we’ll keep this one short-ish, yeah? Yeah.) Last night before bed you informed me that you were going to wake up in the morning and, first thing, look in the mirror. Because you knew what to look for. A certain “six” mentality, maybe, or another inch of Big Kid growth. Your Dad read you a book and, upon its {Read More}
‘The Steadfast Tin Soldier’ joyfully marches us into winter
November 11, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a li’l true story for you: Last Friday night I was feeling burned out, stressed, and a more than a little achy from a recent incident whereupon I dislocated two ribs. (Long, wholly different story.) I had been slated to see the return of Lookingglass Theatre Company’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier that evening with my boy, my youngest, and even though I knew it would be a wonderful time…I was tired on a primal level. By the time we {Read More}
On missing things.
September 9, 2019 By 2 Comments
Oh- hey there, friend. Did you miss me? I’ve definitely been missing this space. Which is a good, good thing. For a while there, I wasn’t missing it. It felt like yet another deadline, yet another thing I hadn’t done in any sort of timely manner, and yet another thing causing the ball of stress in my belly to poke me in the brain at 4am. (Isn’t that how your anatomy works?) So I spent the summer reading books. Good {Read More}
